Another day, another Brown vacillation

Gone was the urbane, confident Gordon Brown who clearly felt he, and his party could do no wrong. Andrew Marr's interview on yesterday's Politics Show revealed a very different Prime Minister - unsure, repetitive, often disconnected in the answers he gave.

Clearly shaken by Labour fortunes in the last week, Mr Brown has resorted to the "knee jerk" policies which have defined his party for a decade. The stealth taxes, the heavy hand of centralism, the 'middle ground' politics, devoid of real passion or courage, equate to a Government without vision, without principle, without future.

At least Mr Blair looked as though he occasionally believed what he said...

And now another u-turn. Mr Brown's "pay as you throw" bin tax would at least have encouraged many people to think about how they dispose of their waste - maybe even to finally press for less packaging from retailers as consumers began to feel the pinch in their pockets.

But no. Mr Brown has turned tail on what could actually have been a useful policy for once, afraid of more negative public opinion. And the real shame? Local authorities may well have to find the difference, passing on this expense in council tax bills. The Government continues to turn the screws on councils to provide more with less.

Today, Bracknell Forest leader Paul Bettison spoke on behalf of the LGA, warning that "Mr Brown is going to have to be prepared for old people seeing day centres closed, for swimming pools shut down, and for roads full of holes". Another day, another Brown vacillation.